Eternal Sleep [On Hold but Not Forgotten]

Lilith

"No, I'm not going with you," I spat.

Her silvery eyes sparked with amusement as she waved her hand over me, holding my wavering form rigid, helpless, and totally incapable of fleeing from her as I so wished to do. I tried to open my mouth and scream for help but found my voice a ghost in the caverns within me. I had to do as my mother said, whether I liked it or not.

"Cat got your tongue?"

Her taunting features were an insult to everything else in the world that possessed physical beauty or prowess or anything worthwhile or wonderful. What a terrible creature, she was. If I could have become a solid thing I would have punched her or kicked her or something. I would have let her have it for sure.

I didn't dare to try and use telepathy to let Phillip know with her so close. He had warned me that, in close ranges, it could be detected by another powerful daemon; Lilith certainly fit that bill. I couldn't even call my father or a guard or anyone. I was doomed.

"Well, now that I've got your attention, why don't we start toward the tower where I'm keeping you?"

I blinked. Bring me to the tower? Why would she do such a thing? My tongue loosed itself from its prison as she dragged me forward by an invisible reel. We were floating across the gardens as though this were a comforting, evening stroll rather than a march toward my destruction. What was she going to do to me? I couldn't break free; nor did I have the strength to do anything to stop her. I was weak.

"Why would you bring me to where my body is being kept?"

"Well, you see, I realize now that you're more of a miserable whelp than I could have first surmised. You have no interest in marrying Phillip, as I thought you might. You're in it for yourself. I have a deal of sorts to strike with you, actually... But we have to get to your body first. Shall we gamble together, my dear?"

I shook my head.

"Last time I gambled, I found out you'd marked the cards, Lilith. You can't fool me with that tactic again. You either tell me the deal now or there is no deal. I can find my body alone."

Could I, though? I was terrible at bluffing and Lilith could see right through my façade of toughness. I was crumbling beneath the weight of terror on my veins and she knew it. But I held fast. There were things to be accomplished and I couldn't let her trickery snap the strings to our carefully built marionette. We would pull her about like a little doll, so long as we didn't mess this up. So long as I didn't mess this up.

"Why, how ever did I cheat last time?"

Her smirking sneer was enough to make my soul boil within the blood of my veins. I couldn't stand this beast. But I had to keep playing face.

"I don't think it's fair to lie about where you're keeping me, make an illusion to sway me from actually reaching the castle and to tell me that I shouldn't marry Phillip when you want to marry him yourself. I mean, sure, they want to use me, but why should you let yourself be used if that's all they're after? A larger kingdom?"

I was continually amazed at my capacity to be deceitful under pressure. To keep playing the game when it had long been over on my side of the court.

"I won't be used," she smiled, a dangerous fire lurking beneath those white, sharp teeth that could tear flesh, bone, and any resolve against her. But I wasn't budging. I was just as much of a threat as she was.

That was a lie, but I had to believe it to stand up to her with any measure of success. I had to keep telling myself lies like that to push forward.